A whiskey the same age as me for my birthday

[Reevzy]

Going back a couple of weeks to Feb the 23rd, I turned 31, so I went out on a mission to see if I could find a whiskey that was distilled in 1983 and this absolute pearler of a bottlo named Nicks Wine Merchants (which someone on these forums pointed me to once) had this bottle in stock.

It's bottled by Duncan Taylor but the whiskey hails from a distillery called Coal Ila.

Duncan Taylor released it as part of their "Dimensions" range.

At $240 (Aussie) a bottle and at a punchy 53% ABV, it was distilled in May of '83 and bottled as a 29 year old in 2012, so that makes me just a few months older than it. It takes a fair splash of water to get it down to where I like it but the first thing you get on the nose is smoke and almost like a seaweed sea salt aroma.

That's pretty much what you get from the first sip and then as some reviews have said which I agree with, there's a finish of licorice and like a minty menthol sort of lingering right at the end but there's definitely a kelp seaweed main presence about it.

Definitely a mans whiskey on approach but quite easy to get accustomed to and quite enjoyable after a few glasses. Put together with one of the most shiny oily Monte 520's I've been keeping for special occasions I thought it was quite a lovely pairing. I like the fruity floral sort of whiskeys to be honest but the Monte 520 to me is a very floral profile and it balanced out great with this whiskey.

[sengjc]

It's a good drop that one.

I have some too and I posted them on the "So, what are your recent acquisitions" thread a while back.

[laficion]

Very nice indeed mate,Great Whisky,Congratulations bro.!!!!!!!!!

[Hohenthal]

Congrats!

Caol Ila is somehow overshadowed by Ardbeg and Lagavulin

but in fact it is more than the other two of consinstently good quality and therefore an "insiders choice".

Duncan Taylor - great independent bottler too,

you got yourself a winner

Cheers, Alex

[Optic101]

Nice one, congrats !

[nikosdoc]

Congrats, I have the same plans for my 40th on September! It would be difficult to find something though.

[shlomo]

Nice. Not a fan of Caol Ila myself, but have never had this one.

Have you tried sipping it without water? What are those tastes like?

[sharks]

Cool Congrats!

[sengjc]

Congrats, I have the same plans for my 40th on September! It would be difficult to find something though.

There's the Glenfarclas 40 YO which is relatively affordable still compared to other 40 YO bottlings.

[LLC]

I do the same thing and have a bottle from 1965 that I have a drink from on my birthday every year. I hope to long outlive the bottle.

[Reevzy]

Nice. Not a fan of Caol Ila myself, but have never had this one.

Have you tried sipping it without water? What are those tastes like?

Well, it burned the sides of my mouth I know that much but the best I could say was basically the same but stronger. Seaweed kelp sort of flavour and smokey. Still nice but limiting to only a couple of glasses before feeling the definite need to water it down. I wish I could go into more detail but that's as far as my palate and vocabulary go hand in hand

[sengjc]

I do the same thing and have a bottle from 1965 that I have a drink from on my birthday every year. I hope to long outlive the bottle.

That's a very nice bottle and a bit of liquid history there. The spirit would have been distilled about 2 years after the distillery opened.

[nikosdoc]

There's the Glenfarclas 40 YO which is relatively affordable still compared to other 40 YO bottlings.

I have that in my sights already.

Hope to find something distiled in ' 74.